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Sleep: a marker of physical and mental health in the elderly.

Authors :
Reid KJ
Martinovich Z
Finkel S
Statsinger J
Golden R
Harter K
Zee PC
Source :
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry [Am J Geriatr Psychiatry] 2006 Oct; Vol. 14 (10), pp. 860-6.
Publication Year :
2006

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence and recognition of common sleep-related problems and their relationship to health-related quality-of-life measures in the elderly.<br />Method: A total of 1,503 participants with a mean age of 75.5 (+/- 6.8, range: 62-100) years from 11 primary care sites serving primarily elderly patients were interviewed. Subjects completed a five-item sleep questionnaire and the SF-12. A Physical Component Summary (PCS-12) and Mental Component Summary (MCS-12) score was calculated. A systematic medical chart review was conducted to determine whether sleep problems were identified by the healthcare providers.<br />Results: A total of 68.9% of patients reported at least one sleep complaint and 40% had two or more. Participants most commonly endorsed (45%) that they had "difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or being able to sleep." The number and type of sleep problems endorsed was associated with both physical and mental health quality-of-life status. Excessive daytime sleepiness was the best predictor of poor mental and physical health-related quality of life. Even when all five sleep questions were endorsed, a sleep complaint was only reported in the chart 19.2% of the time.<br />Conclusions: When elicited, sleep complaints predicted the general physical and mental health-related quality-of-life status in elderly populations with comorbid medical and mental illnesses. Yet, questions regarding sleep are not an integral component of most clinical evaluations. Given the growing evidence of a relationship between sleep and health, identification of sleep disorders could lead to improved management of common age-related chronic illnesses and quality of life of elderly patients.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1064-7481
Volume :
14
Issue :
10
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
17001025
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JGP.0000206164.56404.ba